Central Catholic gets tickets to PPL Center
The PPL Center is just a few blocks west and south of Allentown Central Catholic.
Yet, the route for the ACCHS boys and girls basketball teams is not always easy.
On Friday night, the Vikings and Vikettes earned their way to the downtown arena and the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference semifinals with hard-fought victories.
The Central boys had a dominant second half, especially defensively, to turn back Freedom 56-44 after the Vikettes got off to a fast start and weathered a Nazareth rally to post a 48-39 victory.
As the scene shifts to PPL Center for three nights in the coming week, the ACCHS girls will be in action first as the No. 3 seed takes on No. 7 Emmaus at 6 p.m. Monday night. The Green Hornets beat No. 2 Pocono Mountain West 59-54 in overtime Friday.
One night later, the fourth-seeded ACCHS boys will also face Emmaus in a 6 p.m. semifinal. The No. 1 seeded Green Hornets topped Liberty 60-39 in their quarterfinal matchup. The winners return to PPL Center for a Thursday night championship doubleheader.
Super second half sends Central boys to semis
The Vikings trailed Freedom 29-26 at half time, but everything changed after inter mission.
The Patriots managed just four field goals and 15 points after the break as Central, which led the league in fewest points allowed during the regular season (43.6 ppg), never let Freedom find an offensive rhythm.
“I thought our guys were really focused and played with maximum effort and focus throughout the game,” said Central Catholic coach Dennis Csensits, whose team improved to 15-8. “Freedom’s a good basketball team and made a couple of runs at us, but I was really impressed with the way our guys kept their composure and kept battling. We showed a lot of maturity tonight.”
Csensits said the team’s defensive rotation was better in the second half. Freedom’s Nick Ellis, a four-year starter with 1,200 career points, was held to 11 points. He still needs 26 to become the school’s all-time leading scorer, but will have to wait for the District 11 6A tournament.
Ellis didn’t have a field goal in the first half and was 2-for-10 from the field.
Csensits said.”] “Our guys did a good job of doubling Ellis on the baseline,” Csensits said. “That really made it difficult for him to get his points. He’s a really good player and he was our primary focus coming into the game.”
Jaden Tillett and Ellis combined for all 15 of Freedom’s points in the second half and Tillett finished with 16.
But it wasn’t nearly enough to match a Central offense that came to life for 30 second-half points led by Jahrel Vigo, a sophomore who scored 11 of his 15 after halftime.
“Coming off two losses to end the regular season, Coach really wanted us to start focusing,” Vigo said. “With Ellis, every time he caught the ball we wanted to make sure he didn’t get to the paint or the basket too easily. We gave him some fouls and the coach yelled us and we focused more in the second half and stopped him from scoring.”
Anthony Jones, a senior, carried Central early with 11 first-half points and finished with a seasonhigh 18.
Leading only 41-39 after Ellis made two free throws with 7:14 left in regulation, the Vikings put the game away with a 9-0 run that featured a Jones 3-pointer and Vigo slam off a steal. Jones also fed Vigo for a key basket.
Freedom, which was hurt by 17 turnovers including five in the fourth quarter, had no answers once Central gained momentum.
Now, it’s on to a third meeting with Emmaus in the semis.
The longtime rivals split their regular-season meetings with the Green Hornets winning the most recent game on Monday, 59-49.
Csensits had a long meeting with his team after that game and the difference was noticeable against Freedom. The loss ensured that the Patriots will go another year without winning their first league title while the Vikings are going for their first since the Muhammad Ali-Abdur Rahkman-led team of 2013-14.
“Coach said we get punched in the face and then we react, but tonight we punched them in the face and forced them to react,” Vigo said. “I am looking forward to getting to the PPL Center. It’s going to be fun.”